Mission

Whats With The New Christian HealthShare Ministries

Christian HealthShare Ministries are not new, in fact they have been around for a few decades now. Samaritan Ministries and Christian Healthcare Ministries have been around for over 20 years. Samaritan was founded in 1994 and Christian Healthcare Ministries was founded in 1981, one of the original Christian health sharing groups. With the rising cost of health insurance and ObamaCare, many people who have lost their health insurance have turned to a different option. This is the rise of the Christian Health Share ministry.

Thousands of American who were forced out of their current health plans because they didn’t meet the requirements of ObamaCare, were forced to look at the government run exchanges or they could go to HealthCare.gov for a quick price quote. Depending on how much you make per year as a family will determine how much you will pay in a monthly premium. For a family of 3 making around $75,000 per year, they can expect to pay just over $680 per month with a deductible around $7,500. As with many American who were happy paying a few hundred dollars per month for their plans, that are no longer ObamaCare compliant, $680+ per month is a rather rude awakening. Not only are thousands of American forced to choose a new health plan, but if they don’t they risk being fined up to 2.5% of their annual income.

This is where thousands of Christians have decided to take their health care into their own hands and move over to the Christian Health Sharing option.

What Is A Christian Health Share Ministry?

There are about 4 main Christian health share ministries available to choose from. This number will go up as more ministries launch into this growing market. A health share is just that. A group of like minded people who share the cost of each others health cost.

What cost are covered is determined by each ministry and are called eligible cost. Ineligible cost are attached to activities that don’t fall into the ministries guidelines such as; premarital pregnancy, STD’s, alcohol abuse, drug addictions, vehicle crashes as a result of intoxication and abortions.

Most of these ministries require the individual to be healthy, not smoke and live a life around biblical standards. In a way this helps lower the costs of the ministry as well as the cost for treatment within the group.

Since the Christian Health Share ministry is a not-for-profit group, the only cost paid to the ministry is for administration cost and a small advertising budget. Each ministry will have a breakdown of the cost associated with administration vs health share cost. Christian Healthcare Ministries reports that their administration/advertising cost runs around 6.6% of their annual intake, and the rest of the money is shared with its members.

This is a huge difference with traditional health insurance. Those who pay large premiums as well as large deductibles are paying towards the insurance companies administration cost, employee cost/benefits, office buildings and some of these reported cost are close to 35% of their annual intake.

What Are The Benefits Of A Christian Health Share Ministry?

One of the biggest benefits to belonging to one of these ministries are the low cost of enrollment. Your cost can range from $45 per month at the very low end and go up to $430+ per month for a family of 3. As well you are now exempt from the ObamaCare fine/fee since you belong to an exempt Christian Health Sharing ministry. You now have health coverage, even though its not insurance, but if you were to get hurt or sick you have some type of financial backing. For someone who is young and healthy, signing up for the $45 per month Bronze plan with Christian Healthcare Ministries will fulfill the requirement of the ObamaCare fine/fee for a small monthly cost of $45. Anyone should be able to see the benefits of that. Pay $45, help someone who has a need for the money within the health share and don’t pay the ObamaCare charge of 2.5% of your annual income, its rather a no-brainer.

Another benefit of joining one of the ministries is that you are not forced to pay a large deductible before your benefits of being involved kick in. Some of the Health Share ministries have a type of deductible or out of pocket cost attached to your monthly giving, but they are not like traditional health insurance companies. You can check out the differences between some of the Christian Health Share ministries personal responsibilities here. With a health share ministry you have options, you can choose which plan works best for you or your family.